Dead Rising Case Zero
by Vermilion Drape
Summary: Frank West is summoned to the town of Willamette by an anonymous tip; but could his zealously of finding the story of the decade be clouding him from the danger?  - Details the events of Dead Rising before Case 1-1.
1. Chapter I: On A Mission

- CASE ZERO: CHAPTER I -

"Say..." Ed spoke, with him hesitation apparent. "Buddy. You said something about research for a story," concluding his sentence, then losing concentration, staring at the mountain ranges.

"Thats right. Got a tip that something big's happening." Frank replied, motioning himself and kneeling concurrently, taking mundane generic photos of the Colorado wilderness.

"In a nowhere little town like that? They sure as hell didn't mention anything about it on TV..." Ed said, as he drifted off. Frank hastily walked up to him, patting him.

"Well, I'm freelance, pal. I don't make my living waiting for the TV to tell me what to cover," Frank said, with Ed laughing as the response. Frank walked back to his position again, taking more generic photos. Zooming his camera, Frank observed the roads leading to Willamette; and could see moving figures, lurching.

Baffled by the unconventional movement, Frank could see on the peripherals of his eyes several large figures. Before he could turn his head, he heard his eccentric charter pilot exclaim, "Here she is! Willamette, Colorado! Population 53,594! Distinguishing characteristics, jack shit!", before trailing off into a more subtle tone. "About the only thing to do in this town is... kill time at the shopping mall."

"You've been here before?" Frank replied, curious.

"Huh. I lived here twenty god-damn years from birth. Back then the town was thirty thousand something. Meh. I still come from Denver from time to time. The shopping mall must have really helped this town out."

With the town coming into more clarity as they flew over the seemingly deserted outskirts of the town, Frank spotted a congregation of tall-statured individuals at the bridge to the inner town. Zooming in his camera, he could see national guard armed heavily; with crude barricades and an armored personnel carrier to keep them company.

DeLuca, curious at what he assumed to be the military; asked Frank. "What was, that, the army?", but with no response from Frank; with Ed slowly chuckling, realizing that Frank had turned his question into rhetoric.

However, his question was answered when Frank stood and rose, approaching him, saying "Alright... listen, I want to get shots of the whole town before the National Guard begin roping the whole place off... and the moratorium becomes a lot heavier. Take me over the main street."


	2. Chapter II: Fly Routine

"Huh?" Ed said over the cockpit, at the movement of the individuals below; lurching forwards. Some loosely clutched firearms and domestic weapons, and were motioning about in random directions; whilst some were gesturing upwards into the sky.

Frank, dismissing the odd behavior, snapped photos of the seemingly disgruntled residents, while at the same time, opened his laptop from his formal briefcase, linking the camera to the laptop. Ed was less skeptical; and concealed his disturb when what appeared to be a person being violently beaten to Frank, was moreso a person being devoured to the charter pilot.

Coming into view was a posse of armed police outside the police station, of where a stereotypically dressed man looking like a sheriff clenched his shotgun firmly, and as a figure approached him and his men, the figure made contact with the barrel of the shotgun, before its' head was ruptured by the subsequent blast. Ed, to the dismay of Frank, made the charter speed faster, apparently under the impression that the men would have opened fire.

"What the hell was that?" Ed yelled from the cockpit, dropping his casual tone. Frank sighed with an unknown expression, with no audible response other then that. Frank took additional photographs of a burning house; before a focal point in the adjacent street took his attention.

"No way! Check that out!" DeLuca yelled in incredulity, with the 'rioters' surrounding a man on a white sedan armed with a baseball bat, and in a casual white shirt. The man was grappling with a rioter for control of the baseball bat, before successfully knocking the man to the ground, and retreating to the top of the sedan, whacking the crown of several rioters.

Noticing the helicopter, the man began flailing his limbs around, signaling for rescue by the helicopter. As Ed began to lower the helicopter, he cocked a firearm he had concealed from Frank. However, only a few seconds later, the man was dragged off the sedan and mauled by the rioters.

In disgust, Ed exclaimed "What the hell is happening in this town?", appearing to cast any familiarity of the town away. Frank, responding in a calm tone; blissfully unaware of the truth happening, responded with "I have no idea...", but with a more empathetic tone, said "But its not business as usual in this town."

As an elementary school bus came into view, being surrounded by rioters, Ed groaned in an even more incredulous manner. "Alright... I gotta take her up for a sec."

With the helicopter rising, Frank spotted a building in the distance; with faint sounds of gunfire emerging. "Take us over to that building!" Frank said, interested. When the helicopter drew closer to the scene, a woman was struggling with a bloody and pallor stricken individual for control of a firearm; seemingly juxtaposed with the scene earlier.

Regaining control of the weapon, she regained her composure and ran to the edge of the building; of which was too far off of the ground to escape from the crowd. Firing her gun into the abdomen of several people, it was to no avail, with Ed's incredulity rising higher.

"God-damnit, I don't care what you say Fred - " Ed frustratingly said, cocking the pistol again, and aiming it towards a passage of escape for the woman, with the glass of the cockpit splintering, with Ed nearly unharmed, with the conclusion of the bullets' trajectory marking a path.

However, the woman, after throwing her pistol at an undeterred figure, rotated around, and made a similar gesture for help to the helicopter. However, she was grappled with, and fell over the building, making a bloody corpse, alongside her assailant.

Ed let out another incredulous sound of disgust, but was interrupted by Frank, who informed Ed to head to the center of town, with Ed complying with this.


End file.
